Diploma_tax
Diploma tax
Exit tax imposed by the Soviet Union
The diploma tax is an informal reference to the one-time payment imposed in the Soviet Union on would-be emigrants who received a higher education there. It was introduced in August 1972.[1] The professed justification for the tax was to repay state expenses for public education, but the measure was designed to combat the brain drain caused by the growing emigration of Soviet Jews to the West.[2] The accompanying instruction issued the same day set the rules about fees. For example, a graduate of the Moscow State University had to pay 12,200 roubles (an average monthly salary was 130–150 roubles).[3][4]
The development caused international protests, 21 United States Nobel laureates issued a public statement that condemned it as a "massive violation of human rights."[citation needed]
It is believed that item 3 of the Jackson–Vanik amendment addressed the issue. [2][5]